Stolen Moments
by logan
Summary: taiora. sora is with matt and is completely unaware of tai's feelings for her. all is gowing well for her until a moment with taichi alters the corse of her life.


Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. *Gasps in shock over the originality of that statement* well here I am again with a new fic. There isn't really much in the realm of plot, but hell, is there ever? ^_^. I don't really have much to say here... umm... heh.... oh yeah this is part song fic. It has songs from final fantasy VIII and vertical horizon so lets not have these music people sue me. well I hope you like this one. I am beginning a new series assuming I can figure out how to start it. I think genesis is going to be my best but I have an idea for the new one so I hope you all will like it. ^_^ but anyway, I hope you like this fic.

Let me know what you think at [logan91235@aol.com][1]

  
  
  
  


**Stolen Moments**

by Logan

  
  
  
  


It was already growing dark when Tai approached her doorstep. The black tuxedo he wore was a soft charcoal black with a white undershirt and a neatly tied black bow. His hair was combed neatly and he even pulled off the headband he wore almost religiously. He was very well dressed, though his face mirrored a sorrow that trailed deep like a vein into his core that bubbled with regret as a volcanic vein might with magma. He exhaled softly as he rang the bell. He listened as the chime reverberated in perfect pitch and tone like a musical instrument. 

His attention turned to the sky beyond the city street that was strangely calmed. The sun was setting now, and as it did the colors blended to a great symphony of hue. Golds and reds danced against one another in a soft swirling battle of heavens. The gold shimmered upon the horizon like molten flame and hung there in a soft luminance that took the breath away. The next color was the reds as the spectrum changed from a gentle pink to a rich and vibrant rose tint that wisped downward into the golden light. Gradually the colors changed to a soft violet and then to a soft pastel blue. The night was advancing slowly upon the sky, but in that last battle of day and night the most breathtaking beauty was found.

He turned his attention back down to the street that was glistening as silver from the afternoon shower that had now passed away. The road was bathed in golds and silvers from the sunset and the streetlights which were now pooled their light upon the shimmering sidewalks. The street had been transformed before his eyes. The black roadway had been bathed in a beauty so often overlooked. Taichi smiled for no other reason then being where he was, watching the beauty radiate outward from the one source he knew to be loveliness incarnate. 

The door clicked and then opened to reveal Sora's mother. The woman was dressed in a rich blue sun-dress that billowed out loosely. She smiled warmly at tai as she ushered him in. The boy smiled bashfully as she began circling him and commenting about how handsome he was becoming or how well the suit fit him and made him look more mature. As soon as she took note of his slight blush she began on how cute he was. 

Debra Takenouchi was always kind to Taichi and the boy genuinely liked her. Her face was kind with only the slightest advance of age. Her eyes were the same color as her daughter's though hers were slightly less ful of light. Sora was always lighter then anyone tai knew. It was simply part of her charm. But her mother had that to some lesser extent. She was quick to joke with tai and quicker to laugh with him at that joke. Her long hair was pulled back into a bun with wispy tendrils at either side of her face.

"Tai, you look too grown up! You'll make me feel positively ancient. Here I am the lovely young woman, surrounded by the children I babysat, who are now almost grown up. I just can't help feeling like an old hag." she smiled.

  
  


"Aww, come on miss. Takenouchi. You aren't old! What are you now? Twenty-eight? Thirty at most." the woman giggled elatedly.

  
  


"Taichi, I always did like you best out of all Sora's friends. But enough with the miss. Takenouchi stuff! I was changing your diapers mister. I know all about that little birthmark of yours too. I think after all that you can stop being so formal with me!" tai bowed his head and blushed in embarrassment.

  
  


"Don't go telling anyone about the birthmark ok?"

  
  


"I don't know why.. It's sooo cute. Right on your-" he sweat-dropped as he turned even redder.

  
  


"PLEASE!?!" he begged.

  
  


"Oh ok!" she sighed in defeat which turned to a small chuckle. "You do look very handsome tai. So what lucky girl are you taking?" she embraced him.

  
  


"No one. I'm being dragged to prom at gunpoint by your daughter."

  
  


"It does sound like her. but why aren't you taking someone? Oh why do I even bother. The great Taichi Kamiya, cutest of all the Sora's friends is suffering from a terminal case of shyness." she threw up her hands in exasperation.

  
  


"I just haven't found the right one yet..." he replied softly though he knew it was a blatant lie.

  
  


"Well she's out there. Probably going to be at Prom too... just promise me that when you find this girl and after you marry her I will be expecting the right to babysit your kids. I would bet anything they'll be as cute as you were." tai smiled softly.

  
  


"Tell you what. If I meet her, you have babysitting rights. But I wouldn't hold your breath." he smiled softly as he adjusted his tux.

  
  


"Is Sora almost done getting ready? She's going to make us all-" he paused as he turned to the stairwell only to find Sora slowly descending. He felt his jaw drop and his eyes bug out as he looked at her. she wore a rose-red dress that slit down the leg and accentuated the elegant curve of her waist. He smiled brightly as she descended the stairs and looked at tai. He was sure that there was drool on his lips and that his eyes were as big as saucers.

The dress cut off at her bust in a curve that made tai feel light headed. The fabric flowed on her as though it had been tailor made to her. Her face glowed in that smile as she grinned at tai through her red lips which shimmered like wine. Her hair was pulled back, leaving only bangs of her silken coppery hair. She wore white flowers in her hair. That fit her in a way tai knew all too well. Some girls were made for jewelry or adornments, but not Sora. She was beautiful without trinkets to clutter her elegance. The flowers fit though. They were simple and white, yet more pretty then diamonds spun upon silver thread. She was the girl he knew and the woman who he had never seen. She looked mature and graceful. The image of beauty and form. The essence of angels hung upon her like the fragrant scent of jasmine and rose.

  
  


"TAI!! You did come!!" she leapt over the banister and bounded to him in three steps that were more leaps of joy. He laughed whole heartedly as he scrutinized her. He drew his hand to his chin and stroked the nonexistant goatee. Sora straitened before him as he circled her.

  
  


"Hmm... post modern design, though it does work in a primal way. The hair fits the look though not anorexic enough for super-modeling... " he frowned playfully.

  
  


"Oh please mister fashion photographer, can't I seduce my way to the modeling industry?" she batted her eyes as she gave a in-depth Mimi-impression.

  
  


"Oh, I'm sorry miss but in the grand tradition of male fashion photographers I am same sex oriented" he snickered as he threw up his hand as he acted the part. Sora stifled her grin.

  
  


"Oh damn! Now I'll have to go to law-school!" she burst into laughter as she hugged him tightly. He spun her three times before setting her down.

  
  


"You look beautiful Sora." he smiled as he breathed in the floral scent he had secretly become addicted to. Something between roses and vanilla that sent shivers down his spine. Sora laughed happily as he relinquished his grip. She smiled as she adjusted the trim of his suit. It felt stuffy, but as Sora adjusted it the straitjacket as he had called it earlier felt comfortable and strangely warm.

  
  


"Tai... you look great. You even got that hair of yours trained. Did you loose the comb?"

  
  
  
  


"Very funny. But seriously, you're breath taking Sora." he breathed the words out softly as he felt his breathing draw to a whisper. Her hand was running through his hair softly. he grew silent as she continued to stroke the soft hair. Each touch from her to him was like a nuclear reaction that exploded through every cell in his body. He felt a strange heat radiate through him as he closed his eyes. Sora was either unaware of the effect she had or it was a mutual one since she too was now engulfed in. She continued running her fingers through his hair, then down the side of his face to the suit. Her soft touch slipped inside the black jacket that hung open. It trailed up to his chest and then to his side as the illusion of fixing wrinkles faded away slowly.

  
  


The moment was broken by the doorbell as Sora pulled off like tai had shocked her. she had a slight blush on her cheeks as did tai. He chuckled nervously as his hands went to his hair and began straitening more from nerves then from necessity. They had lost themselves in a moment. Completely lost themselves and been broken from the trance only by the well tuned chime of the bell.

Tai felt a slow throb in his chest as she rushed off to greet the others. That pain worsened to a screaming wound as he saw matt bound through the door in a tux and pull Sora into a kiss. Tai cut his eyes away as Sora responded with enthusiasm to the ministrations from matt's lips. He grimaced in seeming pain as he heard her murmur how much she loved him through the ruffled sound of fabric. She awed as he slipped the corsage onto her wrist. It was beautiful of corse. Probably cost a ton of money to buy her, but that was matt. Best of everything for the girl who he loved. And who loved him back with equal enthusiasm. The sounds were all detected easily from tai's cursed ears. He heard every murmur made by either of the two. 

Matt was whispering about how beautiful she was, how much he loved her and a few comments about how he wanted her. they were spoken softly, spoken in a language of murmurs, but tai heard it all. He knew Sora hadn't taken that step with matt yet. Somehow he knew, though he didn't know how he knew. It was simply a feeling he had deep inside that Sora would wait for some special occasion. He tried to forget that it was prom and that was one of the more special occasions in the lives of any romantic couple. Tai felt his stomach twist inside the stuffy shirt as he fought back a wave of bile that ran to his throat.

He didn't stay to greet mat or the others who were now filtering inside. He instead made the well known trek to the kitchen where he filled a glass with water and held the cool cup in his hand. He studied the translucent liquid intently as small bubbles came unclasped to the wall of the cup and made a journey to the surface where they vanished into the air. He brought it to his lips and drank slowly as he washed the bile taste from his mouth. He drank slowly as he stared into the darkened expanses of the kitchen. He had a lot of memories from this place. Happy memories of playing with Sora on those stairs. Having pillow fights in her bedroom or playing fort in the livingroom with the couch. Good memories of himself and the tiny girl with the red hair and sunny laugh.

Now he had a new memory of an event in this house. A sad one. He shuddered lightly as the act shook the thought from his mind. He didn't want to remember some things. though what he wanted no longer mattered. He would recall this night for a long time. Recall the sound of Sora's happy voice as matt touched her. he knew it wasn't right for him to be at prom. A place that was for lovers. He was here because she asked him to be here. It hurt him to be trapped with them here. Trapped in the same limo that they would be in.

He would be the only one without a date. That bothered him. He had options of corse. But no one girl could stand in comparison to Sora. How can you look on the face of an angel and then find beauty in the face of a mere human. He would not see their beauty or their allure. He would see all the things that they were not, yet Sora was. He could never touch one of them for that would be betraying his heart. That love he had inside was all he had left. That image of Sora which he could cast in a thousand romances inside his mind. He could live with that. Though that phantom girl paled when held against the real Sora. He was helpless... 

He finished the glass and turned back to the doorway that led back to them. He heard them call to him about pictures and as he began making his way back he hesitated at the threshold for a heartbeat. It was the thought of Sora that propelled him onward, though it was that same image that held him back. In the end he passed the threshold, though not happy about it.

  
  


As he entered the room he walked into the image of Sora and matt arm in arm. Their eyes were locked to the others in a tender pose. Sora's lips were ever so slightly turned up as she stared into the icy pools of his own. Tai stared at them for a time with repress as the blinding flash of silver flared from the phosphorus bulb of the camera. They broke apart slowly though not going far. Tai sighed as he stepped forward to be seen. Sora turned and smiled. She waved him over.

  
  


"Goggle-head! You are not getting out of pictures. It's a prom tradition!" she chimed with an annoyingly cute expression that made tai chuckle in spite of the setting. They took position together in a big group shot of the digidestined and their respective dates. Tai smiled softly as the bulb flashed two times and blinded him for each toll. Sora's mother was playing camera man when she narrowed her eyes at tai.

  
  


"Well mister Kamiya you are the only one here without a date. The others already had all their separate pictures taken. But since I am going to want a wallet shot with you in it I want you to have a few pictures taken too." she smiled as tai rolled his eyes. "Sora, why don't you play date for tai? When he is old and grey he might like to be able to look at what he was like when young, and it would be nice for him to have a pretty girl in the picture. Might make him think he had a life" tai's ears perked up as Sora nodded enthusiastically and made her way to tai. She smiled at him as she stood beside him in front of the picture window.

Tai had never felt more nervous in all his life as Sora stood beside him. He smiled shakily for the camera but no flash came. Sora's mom peeked up from the camera and made a face at tai. 

  
  


"Come on you two. This isn't a mug shot!" Sora lifted tai's arm up and threw it over her shoulder. His smile brightened at the contact and was soon framed by a flash of silver.

  
  


"Bond pose?" she offered. Tai chuckled as he took a dramatic pose while holding a invisible silenced gun in his hand. Sora in turn knelt beside him and made a sultry pose while holding a transparent weapon of her own and putting one hand on his leg sexily. Tai used a smug expression that made him look more like James Bond though Sora's hand was making him turn a volcanic blush on the inside. The camera flashed around them. 

The next shot was one of them both standing back to back with an intimidating pose on their scowling features. The rule of the game was to look more imposing then the other and thus before the camera flashed they had engaged in a vicious glaring competition. Immediately after the camera flashed she leapt into the startled Taichi's arms. He lost his balance for a moment and struggled to regain his equilibrium. The camera flashed to the image of a out of control Taichi with a giggling Sora who was throwing a peace sign to the camera, in his arms. He was belly laughing as he set her down.

  
  


"Ok comedians, you have time for one more before you need to go. Make it a good one alright?"

  
  


Sora turned to him. Her eyes sparkled in the light as she took hold of his hands and clasped them in her own. she smiled at him in a smile she had only for him. It was a gentle smile that was special. It was his. It reminded him of their strong friendship. Their special bond that made tai feel connected even when he was at his worse. It was that bond that held him now as he linked hands with the angel. He felt her warmth as it spread from her hands to his. Her hair shimmered in the light as though it were spun copper. Taichi stared down into those eyes that burned with more love and kindness then a thousand torches. She stared up to him in a manner that was identical to the pose taken with matt. She smiled at him in their special smile that Taichi replied with his own. He smiled down on her with his whole heart and in that one moment they were together and in love like she really was with matt.

The bulb flashed around them silver as neither blinked or looked away. Tai stared into the depths of Sora Takenouchi as though her eyes were clear pools that carried visibility for miles. He could see into the core of her being the glowing warmth that she had inside. And as he did he was spellbound. The moment ended unceremoniously as Sora took back her hand and returned to matt. Tai visibly shook himself to break the trance Sora had slipped him into. He blinked in surprise as Sora and the others were now happily chatting about the upcoming event. They were all completely oblivious to the depth of feeling that was pooled in that picture from his side. 

"Well I guess we should get moving if we are going to make it on time." Taichi uttered simply as he smiled goodbye to Sora's mother. The woman had a vague look of question as she slowly lifted her eye from the camera. She blinked at the boy in question as if she had just seen something that made no sense to her and had flashed before her eyes without her even recognizing it. She studied tai in that look before shaking from the realization she was on the verge of making.

"Goodbye kids. Have fun." she replied cheerily with the faintest whisper of that look that made tai nervous. She was always able to know what he was thinking as a child. Was it possible she had just seen the look of unspoken love through the glassy eye of the camera? He hoped that wasn't the case as he followed the others outside to the waiting limo.

  
  
  
  


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How they moved, like a swelling sea of formalwear they crashed against each other in an ordered discord. The tide was composed of paired off couples each moving to their own dance. Though from tai's vantage point on the second floor he could distinguish a pattern of advancements followed by a significant regression as the tide of dancers flowed like the frothed waves of the ocean. The music was soft yet pronounced as it wafted over the air like a fog that was both thick enough to be easily noted and yet thin and wispy enough to not overpower the situation. It had the vague aura of country music though it lacked the pronounced twang that often repelled so many who were not avid fans of that genre.

The soft vocals were well done by the voice of a woman who to Taichi was nameless, as was the song. He simply absorbed the music with a critical edge. The voice was a gentle one with no sharp rift that cut the air. The tones she used could be loud and pronounced, but they never were forceful to the listener. They were more a passive tone with a great feeling behind them. the chorus repeated with growing feeling as the song's conclusion loomed ever closer. The music seemed to solidify from a wispy haze to a more pronounced fog as the dancers responded in that subtle way music can make a dancer respond. The couples swayed ever more closely as the love song resonated through the large hall that was serving as prom. Taichi had given up on the lyrics for they didn't appeal to him as much as the tune had. He simply hung near the railing of the second floor as he surveyed the dance like a gargoyle may survey the festivities below his perch on the rain-weathered ledge of an ancient cathedral.

He had made no real effort to dance or even to assault the buffet that was also located on the second floor. He simply watched in a manner that eluded some. Few people can understand the bittersweet pleasure of watching the world from your place in the shadow of it all. To study the unwitting world from your hiding place beyond their spectrum of attention. From your silent spire you can observe the faintest wisp of emotion in the face of a person who was not trying to put up an emotional shield of some form.

Tai could zoom in on one girl from the crowd who was bubbling with nervousness as she danced in a stiff manner with a equally unnerved boy. The girl's face was a soft and simple one with a unmarred beauty that you would find on the face of the girl next door and not on the cover of some fashion magazine. She had soft cinnamon-brown hair with green eyes that looked more like the color of a smooth emerald which knew no jeweler's saw. The shimmering jade eyes fixed upon her partner's who was holding a false security as a shield of bravado. He was just as nervous around this girl as she was to him. Though he hid his insecurity behind a stolid mask.

He was trying to look so serious and secure, though it was clear to the watchful eyes of Taichi that he was blushing a fiery pink in spite of his best efforts. The girl was special to him... important in a way tai could understand so clearly, yet those mere feet away could not. It was a vague whisper of unrequited love blended with a friendship that Taichi could sympathize with all too easily. The boy's golden eyes sparkled with laughter as whatever she was saying effected him in a relaxing and pleasurable manner. Most likely she was making a faint joke over someone here or some random antic with her face which was now turned away as the dance progressed in the turning and crashing wave fashion that it had since he began watching. The boy's face was transformed as he smiled at her. stolid became warm and emotion-filled as he remained fixed on the jaded eyes of the girl with the slight cherry-blush on her pale cheeks.

Taichi had watched the two for some time now. In the very beginning the two had seemed so awkward that he figured they wouldn't be able to slow dance if there was an assault riffle held to them by some dance teacher gone insane who was only sparing those who could waltz from the weapon's wrath. But as tai watched he saw the vague and cabalistic change in them take hold in a slow evolution. They grew closer with each hour and had slowly made their way from two nervous friends to two shaky dancers who were looking more like a romantic pair then not. He imagined that given time the two would be at complete ease with one another before the night had ended. He assumed that by the last dance of the night he would be witnessing a complete metamorphosis between them. the doors would open to them and from that threshold they would step out two parts of a whole. Friendship is often a stepping stone to love, and by that same measure the more profound the friendship the more rich the love would be. Tai felt a certain kinship to these two children as he watched from the shadowy alcove of the second story. They were to him a 'might have been' in his own life. At some point they had spoken and thus ended the silence between them and opened a door that would lead them someplace good.

As hard as it is to believe, it is true that silence is the most destructive sound that ever was. Far more then even the harshest of words a silence can topple an empire or destroy a life. Taichi knew this all too well. A marriage can end in divorce if a silence is allowed to take root and grow. What marriage can exist if the simple phrase ' I love you' is lost to silence? Not saying what you feel is a fast road to heartache. Of this simple lesson Taichi Kamiya was fluent. He had lost the love of his life to silence, and as he watched the two dance he was filled with a bittersweet happiness for them that they had not fallen into the same pit-trap which he had stumbled.

Understanding is often a matter of perspective. When you are too close, you are unable to comprehend the full aspect of a situation. But from a distance that same problem looks more comparable and easily solved. To understand one must simply find a better vantage point. Tai looked down from his vantage point with a sad smile as his eyes moved from the young couple to the girl.

She was bathed in azure blue light as she danced under the spotlight which happened to be directed upon her. Her skin shimmered in the strange light in a way that enticed the silent observer. He looked on with a faint lustfulness as he watched her dance to the new song. This song was no longer the somber tones of a gentle feminine vocal. It was now a more modern rock song with a faint twist of gothic tone. It was a very un-romantic music but it somehow worked for Sora as she swayed to the chords of the guitar which mingled with the pulsing base and throbbing drum. The music was faintly eerie and even more pronounced to a darker side of life. He studied her with the same fascination one might pay a female vampire who came out of the night as a seductive figure.

He chuckled as that word came to mind. He had known Sora as a kind of sister at times, though that faded to very unsisterly feelings. More she was a friend, or the fiery angel who haunted his dreams. Sora could also take another form when called upon. The most seductive form Taichi could ever put to words. She swayed to the music with her hands in a constantly traveling in a captivating manner over her silken red dress and into the air in a pose that made her look so far from a heaven spawned angel. She rocked softly on the currents of the song as several guys took notice. Sora was a gifted dancer and not just in the more tame forms of dancing. She could dance or move to any song be it classical or metal. She had a varied taste in music that appealed to Taichi who shared the open-minded taste in genres. Her eyes were closed as she continued to dance, oblivious to the stares she was being cast by several of the tux clad teenagers. She most likely knew they were there and simply opted to ignore them and leave it to their girlfriends and dates to drag the leering males away. 

Taichi was one of them. he was leering at her just as shamelessly as they were. Occupational hazard to the male gender in the presence of a girl with Sora's alluring traits. Her hair shimmered like copper in the blue light. It glistened there for all to see in a way that made the hand tremble with need to touch it. Her lips were red like wine as he looked at her from his vantage point. She continued swaying there in the sapphire light as the air of mystery bathed over her as now did the blue lighting. Tai found his lip trembling as his eyes dared trespass over her red and moist lips. It was as though his gaze could caress her and as he continued to look upon her he found the tremor growing within him. He shook his head to clear the thought as he turned to his friends who were dancing somewhat closer then everyone else.

Mimi and izzy were swaying against one another to the same music. There was no sultriness except perhaps what was directed to their partner. Izzy was far more inept a dancer then his partner. Though under Mimi's guidance he was able to keep pace to her slow gyrations with a unsure series of movements of his own. He was slightly bashful as he continued to dance with Mimi. He was out-stepping his place in the social hierarchy by taking Mimi as her date. So many of the boys were shocked that the one time most popular girl had returned from America for their prom. They were even more stunned at the fact that she had done this for izzy. She had made the trek across the globe to be with this boy who was well liked by many, though not high enough on the hierarchy to even blip the radar of the most popular. She rejected the offers of some of the more popular guys without even glancing back to them. Her eyes were locked to izzy's in a bond of attraction that walked the boundary of love. Perhaps given time they would find something special and real together, but that was all conjecture.

His eyes returned to Sora and as they did he was filled with a mix of longing and envy. He was envious of matt. Envious that he was allowed to touch and caress the face of that angel. His eyes bathed her in ethereal beauty as he looked at her in a way that washed off imperfection like dirt can be washed away in a shower. He took her in with his eyes and treasured the image with all he was worth. Love doesn't have to be returned to be powerful. The nature of love itself has enough power to make unrequited love as real as any force in nature. Sora had been dancing with matt for some time now. Every romantic song she had flew to him and the two danced happily in the other's arms. 

After several slow and a few fast dances they were now making the clime up the stairs which were adorned with soft whit Christmas lights as decoration. Sora trailed behind matt as he lead her to a table near Taichi. He glanced over as he debated wether he should join them or if this was some romantic thing that he was not welcome to participate in. His debate was brought to an end as Sora waved him over. He swallowed the lump in his throat and trotted over to the table. He took a seat that was next to Sora, though not so close that it would be obvious. She had a soft glow about her that was result of the dancing. Tai found it necessary to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep some restraint over the thoughts that were trying to commandeer his body to act themselves out.

  
  


"Tai, have you danced at least once?" Sora groaned

  
  


"Yeah.. A few times, just haven't found a girl who can match my style." he put on a broad smile of arrogance though in all reality he was lying through his teeth. Matt bought it but he had his doubts that Sora would be thrown off the track so easily. Sora was the one who knew him best, she knew most of his tricks and could almost instinctively tell when he was lying to her. she glanced at him with a hint of skepticism.

  
  


"Hey tai... would you wana dance with Mimi?" she offered knowing that Mimi would happily make an effort to dance with tai out of friendship. He chuckled in deliberation.

  
  


"Thanks but no thanks. Mimi is definitely not my type.... plus if I broke em apart I think Mimi would whine while izzy uploads a virus on my computer.... " he motioned to them as they danced.

  
  


"Well then... how about me?" Sora offered shyly as tai's head spun around to look at her. she was not joking. He was speechless as he looked at her. he would love to dance with her. Not like, love. He wasn't sure how to answer that without sounding too eager or letting his hidden feelings out in the light. Luckily he was saved from the task by matt of all people. The blond turned to tai with a deep smile on his lips.

"That's a great idea! Sora is always bitching that I don't dance enough of the slow songs with her. and from what I hear you are a good dancer. Why don't you two?" he smiled broadly as Sora grinned to tai.

  
  


"Come on tai... you wana?" she offered hopefully.

  
  


"Well I guess I can't refuse... so alright." his heart was hammering in his chest as he and Sora rose up from the table and made their way to the floor arm in arm. He knew she was just being charitable with him. Seeing him only as a charity case but by god it felt good having her hand locked to his own. He smiled nervously as he pushed through the crowd until he and Sora were in the heart of the crashing sea of dancers that was now still as they waited for the next song.

  
  


The music started and as it did tai noted a faster beat then many of the dancers were ready for. The song was a song meant to be danced in couples, though the beat was moving at a quicker pace. It was a song tai didn't know though he knew he would come to like for this night alone. He would make it a point to hunt down the song's name so he could have the audio track to one of the best moments of his life. Sora smiled at him as she took her hands to his own in a posture that matched the song's tone. They began with a simple pattern of advancing and falling back in a pattern that was clear only to themselves. The feel of her as she moved with him was something like poetry to the one time leader of the digidestined. He could feel her as she glided against him in a soft series of turns and movements that made her seem all the more poetic. Tai glided with her on a current of air that carried him. He was smiling now. Not a broad smile, but instead a soft grin that made Sora happy in a way she couldn't really understand.

  
  


He listened to the music now as he glided against her like a pair of phantoms in the night. The male singer was vaguely familiar as he listened to the song. The words drifted with the music as a breeze through the halls of the building. It glided against Taichi's ear as he continued to make a quick series of turns and movements that Sora replied with a unspoken bond that tied them to the other. when they were younger tai's mother had insisted he take dancing lessons, but since they required a couple he had taken Sora as a partner. It was still a joke between them how bad Sora's feet were trampled during those lessons. But over time they got better. Tai began to understand the movements a bit better and had developed a knack for dancing. Sora on the other hand had developed a passion for it. She was an excellent dancer who took the love she had for music to new heights with the classes. Maybe that old bond they made in that class was able to tell them the other's next move, but regardless he could feel her inside himself. the bond did exist and was able to guide the dance.

The lyrics held a certain ironic twist with Taichi as he danced with her. They were bittersweet as they flooded into his ears and to his mind. They applied to him in a way. The chorus played and tai was divided to listening to it and dancing with Sora. The two meshed in a strange collage.

  
  
  
  


_"He's everything you want._

_He's every thing you need._

_He's everything inside of you that you wish you could be._

_He says all the right things at exactly the right time._

_But he means nothing to you and you don't know why"_

  
  


He ignored the similarities between the song and himself because for this moment those similarities didn't matter. He had Sora Takenouchi dancing with him. He had her hand in his own as he moved with her in a dance that was going faster and still holding that base rhythm and understanding shared between the two. 

Sora slid around his back and came around to take the hand which was waiting for her own. He slipped his arms around her in a move that surprised even him. His arms ended up in a hug across her mid-section and that hug was held for a moment longer then needed. He hoped she didn't notice the hesitation to let her go, but if she did she made no light of it as she continued dancing inspire of the hesitation on his part. He twirled her into his arms before dipping her. His hand caressed the small of her back as she grinned up at him while he was pulling her back.

Her eyes sparkled like rubies in sunshine. As she looked up at him. There was no lack of comfort in those eyes, also there was no fear he would let her fall as she was slowly lifted up to him. The song was fading away in a melodious chord as he drew her closer to himself. She molded herself to his chest as the last lingering tone of the song faded away. She was close enough to kiss if he leaned down even the slightest inch. But just as they were in that final moment still locked in the dance the final words of the song reverberated in tai's mind.

_"But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why...."_

  
  
  
  


Tai let her go reluctantly and with a hint of disappointment she complied. The two were suddenly broken from the trance by the applauding of the people around them. They looked up to find themselves in a circle surrounded by applauding teens. Tai felt a hot blush on his cheek which Sora mirrored as they glanced from the faces of the applauding crowd. Tai looked to Sora and without even casting a thought to if matt was waiting for them asked her if she wanted to go again. She smiled brightly as they waited for the next song. Tai felt more alive right now then he had ever felt. He could feel the heart in his chest thundering out with the chords of a base guitar. He loved her so much that this was all it took to give him a taste of true happiness. His breath was coming in soft puffs that where shallow and frantic as he continued to stare into the eyes of the girl he had been infatuated with for so long that it had solidified to an ache in his heart that never went away. Now as he stood beside the angel of his dreams with his hand in hers he was cleansed of all that pain he had endured for all this time. It may just be for a short time, as short as one more dance, but the chance to set down your load for even a day was more then he could take. he looked to her and saw her smiling at him in a way he had never seen her smile, a soft smile that had some secret behind it.

The music started with a soft Outset of piano music which danced on the air like the gentlest flurry of purest snow. Tai linked arms with Sora as his hands went to the small of her back. Hers took hold at the base of his neck in a gentle loop. She smiled softly as the two begin to sway back and forth to the music. Sora's grin turned into a feathery smile as she lay her head on tai's chest. She listened to the rhythmic toll of his heart upon the backdrop of the soft piano music that was now followed by a lovely feminine voice. She felt his arms as they were now holding her. Tai was so different from matt. Like a breath of fresh air in a smoke filled room. Matt was nice and she did love him. Though it was clear he would never have some of the things she liked best about Taichi. His personality could be hard and rigid one moment, then carefree and fun-loving the next, then as a final transformation he could be tender and sensitive. He was capable of so much tenderness and compassion, so much love for everyone that at times Sora questioned their crests. Matt could be romantic, but he could never do this. He could never just hold her and sway to the music of a song they didn't know and didn't hear. Her music was the steady and rhythmic beating of the boy's heart. She allowed her eyes to slip shut as she felt his warm breath on her bare neck. She could smell the faintest hint of cologne that wafted up from the warmth of his body. It smelled earthy and rich, the slightest hint of tai's own smell mingled with it. 

Her arms slipped from his neck to his back as they shifted position so the two were now holding one anouther. Sora never thought she would feel this way about tai from just a dance. She had feelings for him since she was young, but had assumed those feelings would go away when she let matt into her heart. They had lessened, but were still there as she allowed her mind to drift in a endless void of all thought. She was simply responding to the feel of his skin or the gentle touch of his hair on her skin like the gliding of a feather over flesh. Her head fit so perfectly into the hollow of his neck that she was almost lulled into a blissful sleep.

  
  


"Sora... this is really nice..." he stated softly as he kept his eyes closed.

  
  


"Yeah... it is"

  
  
  
  


"Pretty song too... do you know who sings it?" he asked softly though his words spoke far more then the question they uttered.

  
  


"No... I don't know. It is nice though. Tai.. Don't say anything ok? Just keep doing this. It feels really....

  
  


"Right?" he offered.

  
  


She nodded against his chest as they listened to the song. 

  
  


_"My last night here for you   
Same old songs, just once more   
My last night here with you?   
Maybe yes, maybe no   
I kind of liked it your way   
How you shyly placed your eyes on me   
Did you ever know?   
That I had mine on you "_

  
  
  
  


The two softly swayed against one another to that song. The vocals drifting by them as though they were afloat upon a stream of music and emotion. It didn't feel wrong in those arms Sora decided. In fact it felt right. More right then anything she had touched upon ion her whole life. She was wrapped within Taichi's arms like a blanket. Completely safe and at home in the caress of her best friend who was so much more then a best friend.

  
  
  
  


_"So let me come to you   
Close as I wanted to be   
Close enough for me   
To feel your heart beating fast   
And stay there as I whisper   
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me   
Did you ever know   
That I had mine on you "_

  
  


He allowed his hand to trespass against her soft skin. The smell of jasmine and rose lingering on his lips like a phantom kiss by some angel that bore its name from the heavens itself. His fingers glided against her cheek in a gentle caress that made Sora tremble like a solitary leaf on a branch. She looked up to meet his eyes as he took her face in the palms of his hands. He softly stroked the delicate curve of her jawline with his two thumbs as she looked up at him with a look that he could not place.

  
  


_"Darling, so share with me   
Your love if you have enough   
Your tears if you're holding back   
Or pain if that's what it is   
How can I let you know   
I'm more than the dress and the voice   
Just reach me out then   
You will know that you're not dreaming."_

  
  


Sora's eyes sparkled with the same beauty as the water of the bay takes when it mirrors the setting sun. How it shimmers with golds and yellows as though the water were imitating heaven. Sora's eyes glowed as her lips pulled to a tender smile. Their smile. It had seemed like the smile of friendship before.. But now there was something different about it. A subtle change that was hard to place but unable to deny.

  
  


"Sora.. I... " his words left him as instinct took over and he lowered his lips to hers in a kiss that shook the core of his being. The song's music faded away in the last chorus as he softly missed her. her lips were so much softer then he dreamed. So gentle and with the softest hint of a sweet flavor. His eyes were shut as he tasted her lips in a way he had dreamed in a thousand nights made pale now by this one sweet transgression. He kissed her with his whole heart as she kissed back with a gentle compliance that blossomed like a flower to enthusiasm.

Sora was the one to elevate the kiss to open mouth and as she did she felt her knees grow weak and a thousand tiny raindrop tingles shivered through her skin which turned to gooseflesh. She moaned in the back of her throat as she felt her hands pull him all the closer to herself. She explored his mouth slowly and yet with no lack of enthusiasm. She savored that kiss as though it were cool water upon the tongue of the thirsty, or the grained sugar taste of a ripe pair on the lips of the hungry. That was what this kiss was to Sora Takenouchi, sustenance to the starving. 

  
  
  
  


_"Darling, so there you are   
With that look on your face   
As if you're never hurt   
As if you're never down   
Shall I be the one for you   
Who pinches you softly but sure   
If frown is shown then   
I will know that you are no dreamer." _

  
  


The song faded away to a soft murmur and as it did the two reluctantly broke the union of their lips. Tai allowed his eyes to open slowly afterward, only to find them gazing into the loving orbs of his dream made real. The two were suddenly broken from the dream by a hushed gasp on the part of one of the girls who was looking at them. The realization hit them and they pulled away fast enough to see the faces of many of the students who knew that Sora was with matt. The pang of guilt was fast to come but soon replaced by the horror as they turned to stare into the watery sapphire eyes of yamato Ishida.

  
  
  
  
  
  


************************

  
  
  
  


The night had grown strangely cold after the incident in the hall. It seemed to blur as the image of tai and matt blinded away to a mottled pool of stagnant sensation and memory. She had never felt the guilt she had felt in that moment. As she kissed tai it was as though she were submerged in the warmest water ever to be felt upon the skin. She sank into the warmth and if had been water would have happily drowned herself within it. She would have gulped the liquid bliss as though it were sweet air. But as she sank into the warmth and as it radiated through her she was snapped back by the frigid and icy slap off guilt and pain as she looked into matt's eyes. She hurt him and in doing that ripped herself from that world of warmth that apparently existed in his lips. It was as though you went from the warmest sunbathed beach to the most frigid pole of the arctic. Ecstasy to misery. Fiery to frigid. The guilt burned in her like a shard of ice through the still beating heart.

He sat upon the steps in tomblike silence. He stared off into the vacant space that stretched out like a carpet. The ground was cold and grew colder by the company he bore. The trees stood at his sides like mourners with withered branches and bows held down in mock grief. The branches waved softly in the nightly air and if viewed from above would seem great fields of darkened wheat. 

Matt was upon the steps which lead to the entrance facing down to the walkway that lead to the hotel parking lot. The place had been perfect for the prom. Big ballroom and it created a very attractive view over the bay which flanked the back of the large building. The view had been so nice before, but now the well tended autumn trees loomed forward in a gloom that seemed less from the night and more the setting. The winds wailed softly with a mournful call as they sang to the doleful rhythmic voice of the sea behind. Matt sat near a street lamp which cast a ivory glow to his pale skin. His hair shimmered with gossamer light as he sat there staring out into the night air.

His face was held to a blank expression that gave Sora absolutely no advanced warning to how he was going to respond. She grit her teeth and walked to him.

  
  
  
  


"Hi..." she offered softly as he remained fixed on the blackened horizon.

"Hi..." he replied with a tone that conveyed the hurt he bore within. His eyes never left the landscape as he listened to her voice as it carried over the low rumble of the ocean in the distance.

  
  


"Matt I am so sorr-" she was cut off as he turned to face her with his shimmering eyes which cut into her like a shard of glass.

  
  


"You kissed... you and tai. My best friend and my girlfriend... do you know how much that hurt!? Here I was trying to be nice so I actually tell the two of you to go off and dance.. God I am so fucking stupid!" he snapped and Sora grew silent. She looked at him blankly as the icy water pooled around her.

  
  


"Did he kiss you? Or did you kiss him?"

She was silent.

  
  


"Come on Sora, tell me tai was the one who kissed you! I want to hear that he was the one to do that. That he forced himself on you." he implored as his eyes burned with tears he would not shed. They hung there in his eyes before freezing in the blue pools.

  
  


"I'm not going to lie to you matt... I'm not sure who did what. It all kinda blurs. He might have been the one to kiss me.. Or I might have been the one to kiss him.. But whoever kissed who... I did kiss back.." she bowed her head as she could no longer look into those eyes.

  
  


"You're in love with him now?" he almost spat.

  
  


"I don't know..." she replied softly.

  
  


"How the hell can you not know!? You kissed him for god's sake! You're going to tell me that may have just been between friends? Come on Sora! You have to know!" he paused for a time as he stared blankly at her. "do you still love me?" Sora turned to face him and walked closer. Then knelt beside him. He looked at her blankly as she put her hand to his cheek.

  
  


"I care about you matt. And I am sure I did love you, at least at one point. But I did kiss tai. And if we were really in love like we should have been, that wouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry matt...."

  
  


"Yeah... so am I." he turned back to the nightly trees again. No longer willing to look at her. "so I guess this means we just broke up." he stated bitterly as he got up from his seat and started walking away. Sora was only able to watch as he left her. His hair glowed silver under the faint moonlight as he faded away into the darkness. She closed her eyes as the tears rolled down her cheeks hot. "Goodbye...."

  
  
  
  
  
  


************************

  
  


Tai breathed in the air with slow and drawn out breaths as he felt the spray from the ocean on his face. He closed his eyes as he listened to the roar of the foamy waves. The waves pounded against the seawall with a suicidal drive, and as they collided exploded in a eruption of snowy foam. The water that was normally a soft blue was now painted in the night a deep and glossy black. The waters shimmered with moonlight like polished black onyx in the daylight. 

Tai sat atop the seawall and looked off over the breakers to the calmed waters that flowed beyond the turbulent waters that were closer to shore. Beyond those waters there existed a strange glassy calm that remained in suspended animation as if waiting for the lull to end so they too could be stirred and revel in the breakers' abandon. That water beyond was to tai a far off place he would never know. If the world were the sea he would be a breaker. Forever doomed to live in violence and chaos, never would he grow calm and content in the far off place that he knew to be peace. From the age of a child he had been called to arms against the evils of the digital world. That war lasted years and years and though it now appeared to have calmed slightly as of late he now was crashing against the rocks of heartache. He had been born a breaker and would never be anything else.

He listened to the breakers as they crashed against the stone again and again. Each time they chorused out in a slightly different voice singing the same song as the water splashed and gurgled against the rock. The frothy tide bubbled and murmured as it swept down from the rocks below and back to the ocean where it would converge to make a new advance upon the rock. 

Tai sat there holding his knees as he stared off. His heart was aching over what had happened tonight. He had likely destroyed his friendship with yamato, and killed whatever friendship he had to Sora. He knew his actions were stupid even before he made them, yet he was caught in the momentum of his actions and under that force kissed her. he replayed the kiss over and over again as he tried to commit it to his memory. He did all he could to remember ever last detail of her lips pressed to his. To hold onto the magic of that moment and try as hard as humanly possible to keep that glimmer of joy alive. He knew that could not be achieved. He could never cling to a moment so deeply that he could nurse the bliss from it no matter how rich the source was. But at least for the time being it was his to treasure. He could still taste her in his mouth and was still fighting that blush as he recalled how sweet she tasted.

Tai had done all he could to forget the pain that followed. The fact that Sora had hurt her relationship because of him, the fact that he had hurt his friendship to them both by allowing that one moment to occur. He was the cause of all this sorrow and he refused to think of it for he didn't want to deal with all that pain until absolutely necessary.

  
  
  
  
  
  


************************

  
  


Sora felt the throb in her chest and stomach as she ran through the night. It was over with matt, she had lost that life, but now she had one task that needed completion. She had to make things right with Taichi. She had to save what she could before all the people she loved turned away from her. tai had been her best friend for as long as she could remember. He was always there for her when she was hurting or sad and now she knew that if she ever needed him it was now. But even as she made her way through the dark and strangely cold night she was wracked with questions. He had kissed her. Or had she kissed him? She was walking the line of madness as she contemplated what caused that kiss. She had just wanted tai to enjoy his prom like she had been planning to. But that kiss... if it had been just some subconscious act to make tai happy why was her heart still hammering as she thought back on the feeling of his lips pressed to her own?

He was a amazing kisser. His lips felt so indescribable as they pressed to her own in a gentle kiss. She had wanted that kiss to last forever, she wanted it again now. That was the real question she was dreading. Did she really want tai more then matt. Had she secretly been longing for him the whole time she was with matt. Matt was nothing like tai in so many really good ways. He was not as sensitive or as tender. And the kisses... they were different too. Tai was soft and loving while matt was bubbling with passion. And as Sora thought over the two she found herself hungering for a second kiss from her best friend.

She suspected she knew where he was. She had seen tai fight with his mother and run off to hide. She could always find him when no one else could. Some sixth-sense to how the boy's mind worked. He would be someplace tranquil and serene. A place that would speak to him and would call him. It was simply how his mind functioned when something bad had happened to him. He would seek comfort someplace reassuring. And Sora knew him well enough to know where he would be after he left the prom in a rush. 

She stepped over the uneven ground on her bare feet. She had taken her high-heel shoes off when she had to travel over the unpaved ground which was in many ways a series of hills and pitfalls. She felt the moist earth on her bare feet as she began to almost run. She turned a corner only to find the silhouetted image of Taichi Kamiya against the backdrop of the crashing ocean waves. He was illuminated only in the faintest whisper of moonlight which stood out against the shimmering black waters of the nightly ocean. His hair was blowing softly in the winds as she paused to stare at him. He looked sad as he sat there in a trance with the oceans steady pulsing tide. She remained where she was so she could remain hidden for the time being. Tai looked different in that light. Less like a child and more mature. Even handsome in a way she had not before recognized in him. But on that face that bore the slightest whisper of maturity alongside the boyish good looks that Sora had known, there was a sadness. A subtle whisper of pain as he continued to look out over the ocean. 

She stared at him for a time before his voice broke her from her trance. She took a step back in shock as he called out to her by name. He didn't look up, simply allowed his eyes to drift on the far off waters of the bay. She lowered her gaze as she slowly walked to him, and as they were no more then several feet apart he turned to face her. Sora felt her breath catch in her throat as she found herself caught in the soft eyes of the boy she had once called friend and now was no longer sure what to call him. He stared into her with those dark eyes that were magical in their own respect. As she stared into him her heart ached and she knew his did as well.

  
  


"Speaking to me?" he offered blankly as he looked at her soft.

  
  


"Yeah, are you speaking to me?" she grinned softly as he replied the faint smile with one of his own."

  
  


"Yeah I am..." he motioned for her to sit with him which she did silently. They sat together in one of the first awkward silences the two had ever known. They were entombed in silence for what seemed like hours before Sora spoke.

  
  


"Tai.. You kissed me..." he nodded.

  
  


"Why?"

  
  


"I... used to have feelings for you. Strong feelings." he turned to look her in the eye with no levity in his expression. She held her breath as those dark eyes glided over her. "I was in love with you Sora."

  
  


She blinked in slight shock over the realization. "You were?"

  
  


"Well I was too much of a wuss to tell you. But yeah I was." he smiled faintly as she smiled sadly.

"You said 'was' you aren't anymore?" she was surprised by the pain she felt at that concept.

  
  


"Well... I was more in love with the old you. The one who used to play soccer and be one of the guys. The one who challenged people and fought back when you didn't think something was right. God I loved you for that. 

I knew that if I ever slipped and did something I knew was wrong you would kick my ass for it." he chuckled softly. " you had this force behind you. This love inside mixed with this passion for life and adventure. Sora you were kinda like a hero to me. I wanted to be like you for having that strength inside and never being afraid to use it. Ever since we were kids I was trying to have just a fraction of what you had. Failing miserably, but still trying. I have always had faith that you were the strongest of us all and that I needed to be like you. I guess somewhere along the line that respect and admiration turned to love. Sometime during the digital world adventures I fell in love with you. God I loved you. I saw how great you were with TK and how hard you fought with the rest of us. How all that love and fire blended together to make you so incredible that I got a lump in my throat every time I saw you." he paused as his faint smile faded away.

  
  


"But then... after the digital world... you changed. Something inside of you just faded away. The fire was still there, but it was more like a glow. I don't know what changed that inside of you, but it happened so fast. All the sudden you were just like all those other girls. You played nice with everyone even when you couldn't stand them. You quit soccer and took up a sport you used to loath because all the people who play it are prepy and rich.

You stopped fighting back when things bothered you. You just got kinda quiet and blended into the wall. I could tell it bothered you, but you didn't say anything. You just smiled and agreed with whatever you hated." Sora's eyes were cast down as Taichi demonstrated that he had noticed all the changes she had tried to make a gradual and unnoticeable change.

  
  


"It's like all the things I loved about you were taken away or pushed away. It hurt a lot to watch that but who am I to tell you how to live your life. I never loved you less, but it was like there was less to love. Like parts of you were dead and I missed them like you can miss someone who's gone. But even now after you got together with matt and turned into this new Sora there are moments. Little moments where I can see a flash of _my_ Sora. Like tonight for instance. When I kissed you... I was kissing my Sora because that moment you were so.. Free. You weren't behaving for anyone, not matt, not your mom. You were the girl I fell so deeply in love with. I still see that Sora inside you. 'That girl who could kick my ass any day of the week'" he quoted with a sad smile.

  
  


"Tai..." she whispered with tears in her eyes. They hung there for a moment glowing in her eyes before rolling down her cheeks. Tai smiled sadly as he lifted his hand to her cheek and whipped them away.

  
  


"You're still the most beautiful girl in the world Sora." he spoke as his own eyes filled with tears.

  
  


"Taichi.. Why couldn't you have told me all this sooner?"

  
  
  
  


"I got my crest mixed up with someone else's? Come on Sora. You know me better then that. I can fight myotismon singlehandedly but I am a complete wimp when it comes to girls." he chuckled. "Sora can we still be friends? I know my friendship to Matt is screwed, but can we still be friends?" he asked with the faintest whisper of hope.

  
  


"If you want to be friends that's fine with me... but there's an opening for a boyfriend if you want to try?" tai's eyes widened lightly.

  
  


"Matt?"

  
  


"He isn't my type I guess. He's too..." she trailed off as tai's face drew closer to her own.

  
  


"Not you..." she smiled as he leaned in close enough to feel her breath on his lips. Tai's smile widened to the point where it looked like it would break his cheeks. Tai slipped his arms around her back as he whispered his answer to her.

  
  


"I'm in love with you Sora."

  
  


"I'm in love with you Taichi." she replied as her lips gently grazed his own. The power of the moment can never be underestimated. In one moment your life can be changed so profoundly that your universe seems to be within reach. The moment can bring an end to a lie or bring something precious to your touch. In that moment Sora Takenouchi leaned in to kiss Taichi Kamiya once more. And just as their lips were about to meet in the second most powerful kiss of their lives the moment was shattered by a sudden downpour of cold rain.

  
  


The two broke apart in a mutual shriek of surprise from the icy rain as it poured down over them. The downpour turned the soft dirt to thick mud around their feet and turned proceeded to soak the two. Taichi's hair was slicked to his face while he looked at the laughing Sora who's perfect hair and makeup was now ruined.

  
  


"Where in god's name did this come from!?" he laughed as he pulled his tuxedo jacket over his head.

  
  


"God has a thing against expensive formal wear?" she offered with a giggle.

  
  


"Come on Sora. Better get out of this before your hair is ruined beyond repair!" he laughed as he took her hand and began running for the cover of the building. Yet as his back was to Sora he didn't catch the mischievous gleam in her eyes. With a sudden grunt she jerked his arm back and used the shocked boy's momentum in combination with that of her own body to tackle him. He landed with a thud onto the muddy earth. He cried in shock as he landed on his stomach, splashing mud all over the two of them. Sora rolled with laughter as he looked up to her with a face saturated in brown mud.

  
  


"I'm glad you find this funny. We were in very expensive formal wear before you decided we should roll in the mud. He laughed in mock scolding as he turned so he was laying with his back in the mud. Sora smiled as she rolled over on top of his mud-soaked tux and grinned down at him. She beamed down with a gentle grin as she wiped the mud from his face with her hand before pulling closer so she was looking down on his face.

  
  


"The great Taichi Kamiya is afraid of a little mud?" she smiled down on his dirt streaked face as she lowered her lips to his own. Tai smiled against her lips as the rain poured down over them. she felt more warm in that cold rain then she had ever felt before. Tai's muddy hands snaked around her and closed around her back in a hug as he continued to kiss her gently.

  
  


She pulled back slowly as he gazed up lovingly at her. He stroked her messed up hair affectionately as she glowed down at him. "So how's this for the Sora you knew?" she pinned him defiantly and glared down at him.

  
  


"Still able to give me a lump in my throat." he smiled as she slowly let him up to his feet. He attempted to straighten the ruined tuxedo before giving up on it in a dramatic sigh. She smiled cutely to him with a smile that made his cheeks warm. She had her perfect face streaked with dirt and she had never looked more beautiful to him. She slipped into his arms and slid her own hands over his back till they rested against the base of his neck. He smiled as his own hands made their way to her hips. Sora looked at the boy who was covered in dirt and mud, whose hair was matted in a wet mess over his brow with a leaf plastered to its chestnut mass. She smiled broadly as she kissed him and began to dance. The two softly danced to the music of the rain on the ocean and the wind blowing against their faces and through their damp hair. They loved each other both as man and woman and as one child loves anouther. It was a memorable prom for many reasons but for Taichi it was the night he got the Sora he loved back, 

and no longer just for a stolen moment.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Change is a necessity to survival.**

**The study of evolution has taught us that what can't change dies.**

**But we as individuals must never evolve to the point we forget ourselves.**

**And if we do just that, cast aside our true selves, what is the price?**

**Can we really be someone we aren't?**

**Or are we allowed to grow and change at our own discretion?**

**Can fate be cheated and destiny denied? **

**Or will the force that binds us take back the power and reassert the true nature of the pretender?**

**How are we to know?**

**Questions without answers.**

**But still worth considering.**

   [1]: mailto:logan91235@aol.com



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